Your Online Booking Experts

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we highlight the Categories feature!

This feature has been out for quite some time, but it seems that only a fraction of our merchants are using it. It could really help parents who are looking for events focused around kids, or for adults looking for a date night and they want to narrow the search down to just adult activities. If you want a video and steps to help you set categories up, hit this link or follow the directions below.

Otherwise here are some simple steps to get you headed in the right direction!

Start on your PlaceFull Dashboard.

Click on the “Manage” tab in the menu. Then click on the “Category” tab.

Next, click on the green “Add new Category” button.

Add the category name, existing listings it goes to, and a brief description. Then hit “Save”.

Newest smartphone technology has given us the ability to have the world at our fingertips. With HD display and powerful cameras, iPhone has given a platform for artists to connect with one another through their passions. Digital art has become a huge trend and provides the ability for artists to take what they love on the go. Feeling inspired while outside of the studio? Wanting to capture a moment on vacation but don’t have the tools to do so? Bring your creativity to life through these apps… and then back to your studio!

Tayasui is a drawing & painting app with a long list of tools and features for any digital artist. Some of these tools include felt pen, oil pastel, watercolor, and acrylic brushes. This app is also compatible with the iPad for those who prefer a different platform. A pro version of the app sells for $5.99 and includes even more tools and add-ons.

With over 25 million users, “Paper by FiftyThree” is one of the worlds largest sketching apps and it has helped many find their own creative space within the app. Auto-correction makes it easy to draw clean straight lines while at the same time giving the artist freedom. Great for on the go art and provides a simple user interface! If you want an upgrade from the free version, PaperPro goes for 6.99 for 6 months.

The Sketch Club App lets you draw and paint while sharing what you create with a whole community within the app. Bringing artistic and creative people together all over the world, the Sketch Club App is great for those wanting a more social drawing and painting experience.

How To Excel in The Bowling Industry (When You Don’t Own a Talking Bowling Pin)

by Cory Cravalho

Did you know that more than 10 million children in the US each year choose to have a birthday party at their local bowling center? This makes the industry the top party destination for kids aged 12 and younger. Even in 2018, there is huge potential for the Bowling Industry to achieve profitability. In order to do this, however, Centers must adapt to emerging trends and appeal to multiple generations.

Take a Look at the Top Bowling Center Trends of 2018 & Some Tips on How to Grow Your Center!

#1. Bowling Centers Are Now Offering More Than Just Bowling

These days, bowling alleys must consider combining other activities such as game rooms, Virtual Reality, or Laser Tag into their business model. These activities will encourage customers to stick around longer and increase revenue, as well as customer engagement! Implementing additional activities on top of bowling has been boosting revenues for centers all across the country.

#2. Competitors Have Adjusted Their Programs to Entice Millennials/Generation Z

Throughout the history of bowling, league play has contributed a huge amount to the success of the industry. While League play is still key in order to be successful, younger generations, whom you should be tailoring your bowling alleys to, enjoy more social outings when visiting. Bowling Centers must adjust to this and create a product that appeals to younger customers as well as older generations.

#3. Technology is Taking Over

Up to date technology is almost a necessity in order to keep your bowling center profitable. There are a number of ways to keep up with technological trends of the industry. Here are some many centers have adapted.

Auto Scoring Systems – Modern auto scoring speeds up the pace of play and allows for customers to not worry about anything besides enjoying your alley.

Debit/Credit Card system – Cash only is a thing of the past and all bowling centers should adapt technology in order to accept multiple forms of payment.

Online Booking – Put the power in the hands of your customers and allow them to book parties and lanes online before leaving the house. This will save customers time and make it easier for employee’s at your center as well. PlaceFull is a great place to start! Sign up for a free demo today!

South Boston Candlepins has been a family run bowling alley for over 20 years, and those who walk through their doors love the fun and nostalgic environment South Boston provides. While many bowling alleys have moved to the more common tenpin bowling, South Boston has stayed true to its roots, and customers flock to them for parties and events because of this. To keep up with this demand, South Boston Candlepins has utilized PlaceFull’s online reservation system. PlaceFull gives them the ability to stay on top of bookings for parties, events and more.

Upping Their Customer Service Game

South Bowl Candlepins began using PlaceFull almost nine months ago, and the business has seen remarkable results. Owner of South Bowl Candlepins, John says PlaceFull “allows us to interact with the community, allowing people to book their bowling ahead of time.” They have seen an increase in the number of bookings for their parties and events, and especially love the ability to integrate booking within their social media. PlaceFull’s booking software gives customers the flexibility of booking on their time, which allows for less time spent on the phone and more time spent with their customers.

Easy Social Media Integration

PlaceFull incorporates social media integration, something South Boston Bowling has found to be huge advantage and put them above and beyond their competiton. Booking options are available directly on South Boston’s Facebook page, which allows customers to book all of the events and parties they want on a variety of platforms, hassle-free. In fact, posting and integrating social media platforms has been proven to increase the amount of events and parties booked by customers. Just ask John! He says that since South Bowl integrated their facebook with PlaceFull, the alley has seen the increase in bookings for themselves!

Revamping Their Website

South Boston Candlepins is a great example of how PlaceFull works with bowling centers all over the country. They found it hard to create a clean and easy to use website that made navigating simple. Luckily, PlaceFull rebuilt South Boston’s website, making it easy for customers to get exactly where they want and enjoy the experience while they do it. At PlaceFull, we understand that the customer service provided by bowling centers is a huge component of their business so we have made it a huge part of ours as well. John says, “everyone who works on our account has been great to work with and have helped do exactly what they told us they would do.” With round the clock support from real people, PlaceFull always want to make sure our products line-up seamlessly with the mission of our customers.

Visit PlaceFull today for more information, or give us a call at (206) 624 – 0295!

Our latest feature release is here. We are excited to help you get all you can out of PlaceFull – check out the NEW and awesome additions we have in store for you below!

Printable Booking Details – Make Staff More Efficient

The NEW printable booking details feature gives merchants the ability to have all the important information of their next booking in their hands. Basic information like; date of the booking, name of the person who booked, and how many people are scheduled to be at the booking are all in your grasp, not your computer screen.

Does your business ask extra questions to further enhance the experience of a party or event at the time of booking? If that is the case, all responses to questions and special requests, are printable. Or does your business offer add-ons to your listings? Add-ons and the amount ordered during the booking process are printable with this NEW feature, as well. With information easily accessible, merchants will be able to cater to the needs of individuals easier.

Repeatable Notes on the Calendar – Save You Time

The NEW repeating notes are here to save you time. Merchants can now add notes to the same days every week. Adding a start date and an end date will allow you to extend those notes for as long as you like.

Merchants can offer buy one get one half off deals every Tuesday and Thursday with no hassle to remember to extend that on your calendar. Special events or deals that happen every week will be easier to add, edit, and delete. Set it and forget it.

List-View Description – Enhance Your Customer Search Process

This NEW list-view description feature allows potential customers to read about your available classes or event before ever clicking on the listing. Merchants can give a small detail, or a tag line to hook customers looking at their listings. This feature offers an opportunity to catch the eye of everyone looking at your booking list!

Any questions about the new features? Feel free to give us a call at (206)624-0295 with any comments or concerns, we’d love to help you out as always!

PlaceFull and Color Me Mine – The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

Now Announcing – PlaceFull and Color Me Mine have officially partnered! As a leader in the online booking space, PlaceFull is thrilled to provide the Color Me Mine franchise with the solution they’ve been searching for. Franchiee owners nation wide can expect to save more time and money with PlaceFull by their side. Ultimately, the new partnership presents many exciting opportunities for both companies to grow and reach new heights.

The journey started just 3 years ago when the former Girl Scout Troop leaders, Katie Summerford and Vicki Burgess, got wind that their local Color Me Mine ceramics studio was up for sale. Before they knew it, Katie and Vicki went from crafting with girl scout troops, to crafting a business.

With their new business in the works, Katie and Vicki started to assess what they liked about the existing business model, and what they wanted to change. This lead to the realization that they were in need of a new online booking solution.

The Perfect Solution

While attending the annual CCSA (Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association) convention, Katie and Vicki discovered PlaceFull. The two business owners were drawn to the PlaceFull booth by smiling faces, and decided to stop and see what PlaceFull was all about. After running through a brief demo at the booth, it became clear that PlaceFull was the booking solution they had been looking for. While their former booking system could only manage parties, PlaceFull would allow them to offer classes, workshops, and other private events online.

When asked about their decision to sign up for PlaceFull, Katie said, “Do it. Make the change as soon as possible – you’ll be happy you did and you won’t regret it!”

More Time, More Revenue

Before PlaceFull, the studio had struggled with filling up their classes. After implementing PlaceFull, Katie and Vicki are able to promote ALL of their events and have sold out of multiple classes – finding themselves busier than ever with a dramatic increase in revenue!Instead of spending time promoting their events, Katie and Vicki can now put more time and energy into the flock of customers that walk through their doors.

Reliable Support

For owner Katie, one thing that really made the transition to PlaceFull painless was the customer support she received along the way from the PlaceFull support team. There are many resources available to PlaceFull merchants such as the PlaceFull Support page or the PlaceFull Members Facebook page to make getting help easy! She was pleasantly surprised when she reached out for assistance and immediately got the help she needed.

PlaceFull’s Simplicity

The simplicity of PlaceFull was a breath of fresh air for the two studio owners. Since switching to PlaceFull, Katie and Vicki love how easy it is to navigate their account and set up events. Today, Katie finds herself creating events online in a matter of minutes and managing her booking calendar with ease.

Looking Forward

PlaceFull brings new found hope for Katie and Vicki for the coming new year as they watch their business grow. Impressed with her experience using PlaceFull, Katie even took it upon herself to share their studio’s success with fellow Color Me Mine franchise owners. Being a franchise owner, she knows how overwhelming implementing new business practices can be. Katie’s message to other Color Me Mine studios is clear… “you won’t regret it!”

More About Katie & Vicki

You can find Katie and Vicki’s Color Me Mine studio nestled away in beautiful Cypress, Texas. The studio is centered around ceramics and they have recently started experimenting with board art classes! With their out of the box thinking, Katie and Vicki even found a way to cut the cost of classes for their customers by taking the extra time to buy wood from Home Depot and cut the wood themselves.

Katie and Vicki go the extra mile for their customers and find happiness in bringing people together with art. Katie expressed, “during Christmas time, there were dozens of little gifts under trees out there that brought smiles to people’s faces on Christmas. Knowing that we played a little part in their happiness and making them smile is my favorite part of my job.”

If you’re in the Cypress area, be sure to visit or book an event with Color Me Mine – Katie and Vicki would love to have you!